Development of hollow glass waveguides (HGWs ) for
laser power delivery, chemical sensing, and
thermometry

Fiber optics for biomedical optics applications including
laser surgery, PDT, and temperature sensing

Development of coherent HGW bundles for IR imaging

Development of hollow plastic waveguides for sensor
applications

Design of new hollow waveguides including photonic
bandgap structures

Fabrication of single crystal sapphire fibers using laser
heated pedestal growth techniques

The most active areas of research involve the design, theory, and fabrication of HGWs for use in the delivery of laser power in surgical and industrial applications and for use as chemical and thermal fiber sensors. Our standard HGWs are made by depositing metallic (Ag) and dielectric (AgI) films inside silica tubing. The basic optical and mechanical properties of these unique guides are studied in an effort to understand the basic loss mechanisms in the fibers and to improve their strength.

Over the past 10 years that we have been developing HGWs we have also pursued a variety of applications for these guides. Recently, Polymicro Technologies, Inc. in Phoenix, AZ has licensed this technology from Rutgers University. Polymicro can provide more information on the HGWs for those interested in using them for sensor and power delivery applications.